“I Have a Voice” Exhibit Talk August 15 At FLPL

Rob DeHart, a curator at the Tennessee State Museum, visits FLPL to give an exhibit talk about “I Have a Voice: Tennessee’s African American Musical Heritage.” “I Have a Voice” is on display on FLPL’s 2nd floor through September 15, and it explores the music of legends such as Bessie Smith, B.B. King, DeFord Bailey, and Tina Turner. Mr. DeHart will talk about the exhibit and other musical artifacts from the Tennessee State Museum, which features a collection of more than 160,000 objects. Mr DeHart will highlight some of the museum’s outstanding artifacts related to Tennessee’s diverse musical heritage. From 19th century parlor music to bluegrass and blues, hear the stories that these objects have to tell.

Rob DeHart is a curator at the Tennessee State Museum, where he focuses on cultural history and science and technology with a special emphasis on the Antebellum South. A graduate of the public history master’s program at Middle Tennessee State University, he worked in collections and programming at various small history museums before arriving at the State Museum in 2010. His exhibitions have won regional and national awards, and he currently serves as a peer reviewer for the American Alliance of Museums (AAM). Rob’s musical background includes playing double-bass as an extra with the Nashville Symphony and playing guitar with a swing band on Printer’s Alley.

FLPL’s I Have a Voice exhibit and series are supported by a grant from the Alabama Humanities Foundation, a state partner with the National Endowment for the Humanities. For more information about this event, call 256-764-6564, ext. 128.